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We're used to seeing a processor as an integral part of the specs for a PC, but not so for network-attached storage (NAS). And yet that's how manufacturers, including QNAP, are boosting the performance of NAS devices. The company today introduced several servers in its Turbo NAS line with Intel's 1.66-GHz Atom D-510 Dual-Core processor.

The dual-core Atom, together with the included 1GB of DDR2 RAM, boosts the RAID processing of the Turbo NAS servers; in turn, this allows these NAS devices to deliver over 100MB/sec on RAID 5 FTP reads, according to QNAP.

Due to ship in January, the servers are sold without drives. The performance boost comes with a price tag, though--which is why these devices are being aimed at small business users. The two-bay TS-259 Pro will cost US$599, four-bay TS-459 Pro will cost $899, and the six-bay TS-659 Pro will cost $1,199. Need mondo storage? The whopping eight-bay TS-859 Pro will sell for $1,499 (plus the cost of drives times eight).

Business users will appreciate that these devices are certified to work with VMware's vSphere4 cloud computing system. The units come with version 3.2 of QNAP's management software, for a wide range of features and services (such as iSCSI support, improved file sharing and management, and Apple Time Machine support).

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